01
RECRUITERS & AGENCIES · DETAILED GUIDEAgree success criteria and decision-making before sourcing begins.
Understand the need behind the title
Ask the hiring manager what problem the person will own, what must be delivered in the first months, and why the role is open. Confirm reporting line, team size, seniority, decision authority, and how the work is measured.
Separate essential skills from preferences. Clarify whether the team will consider adjacent experience, transferable skills, or a different industry background. This reduces wasted sourcing and makes evaluation more consistent.
Confirm the offer and constraints
Record approved compensation, currency, pay period, bonus structure, contract type, hours, location, remote rules, interview stages, and likely start date. Confirm who can change these terms and how quickly the client will review candidates.
For cross-border roles, establish where the client can employ someone and which work-authorisation questions require direct employer review. Do not promise a visa, relocation, or legal eligibility unless the employer has confirmed it.
Agree ways of working
Name a single client decision owner, response-time target, feedback format, and escalation route. Decide how duplicate candidates are handled and what information can be shared at each stage.
Write down the brief and ask the client to confirm it. Revisit the brief when the search is not producing suitable candidates instead of silently widening criteria or changing the role in conversation only.
Action checklist
- ✓Business outcome and priority responsibilities documented.
- ✓Must-have and flexible criteria separated.
- ✓Approved compensation, location, and work arrangement confirmed.
- ✓Interview steps and feedback timing agreed.
- ✓Data-sharing permissions and client owner recorded.
02
RECRUITERS & AGENCIES · DETAILED GUIDEMake a concise, fair case using evidence the candidate has authorised you to share.
Map evidence to the brief
Summarise experience against the agreed criteria. For each point, state what the candidate did, the scope, tools or environment, and the outcome they described. Label unverified information as candidate-reported rather than confirmed.
Explain relevant transferable experience without stretching titles or claiming a skill the person has not demonstrated. Include important gaps or questions neutrally so the client can assess them in the right stage.
Keep the introduction useful
Use a short, structured summary: role fit, relevant evidence, location and work arrangement, compensation expectations where authorised, availability if confirmed, and questions to resolve. Avoid unnecessary personal details, photographs, or protected characteristics.
Send only the version approved for this client and vacancy. Check that attachments are correct, links work, and no confidential notes from another client or process remain in the file.
Close the feedback loop
Ask the client for specific feedback against the brief, then share appropriate feedback with the candidate. If the client’s criteria have changed, document the change and confirm that the candidate remains interested before progressing.
Use repeated feedback to improve the sourcing plan. Do not convert a single rejection into a broad claim about a candidate’s ability or future prospects.
Action checklist
- ✓Every claim maps to evidence or is clearly labelled candidate-reported.
- ✓Summary uses agreed role criteria.
- ✓Candidate approved sharing with this client.
- ✓Only relevant information and the correct file are included.
- ✓Feedback is collected and shared respectfully.
03
RECRUITERS & AGENCIES · DETAILED GUIDEMake every introduction transparent, specific, and easy for a candidate to control.
Ask before sharing
Tell the candidate the client’s identity, the role, the information you plan to share, and the purpose. Give them time to review the version of their profile or CV that will be sent.
Record their decision for that client and vacancy. A general expression of interest should not be treated as permission to send a CV to unrelated employers or future roles.
Minimise and secure the information
Share only information needed for the introduction. Remove private notes, irrelevant contact details, and sensitive information that the client does not need at this stage.
Use approved secure storage and access controls. Keep each client’s candidate records separate, review who can access them, and follow your organisation’s retention and deletion schedule.
Respect changes of mind
Make it easy for candidates to ask what has been shared, correct an error, or withdraw permission for future sharing. Explain what action you can take and any copies already sent to a client.
Record consent changes promptly, stop additional sharing, and notify the relevant client when appropriate. Follow applicable privacy requirements and your organisation’s process for responding to access or deletion requests.
Action checklist
- ✓Client, role, purpose, and exact materials disclosed.
- ✓Permission recorded for that specific introduction.
- ✓Only necessary information shared through approved tools.
- ✓Candidate can correct details or change future permissions.
- ✓Consent changes and data-retention actions documented.
04
RECRUITERS & AGENCIES · DETAILED GUIDEMake every role, owner, next action, and client decision visible to the right people.
Use a small shared stage model
Agree plain definitions for stages such as sourced, permission requested, submitted, interview, offer, placed, and closed. Define which event moves a person forward so two teams do not interpret the same status differently.
Assign an owner and next action to every active candidate and vacancy. Set due dates for client feedback and candidate updates, then review overdue work in a short regular meeting.
Keep client work separated
Use the correct client workspace and role for every note, CV, and status change. Restrict access by client and team responsibility, and audit memberships when people join, change assignments, or leave.
Agree how duplicate submissions are checked and resolved. Avoid copying notes or candidate records between clients without a legitimate purpose and appropriate permission.
Measure service without distorting it
Track operational measures you can verify, such as time to first qualified submission, client feedback turnaround, interview progression, and roles closed. Define the start and end event for each measure.
Use the figures to identify bottlenecks, not to pressure recruiters to submit unsuitable candidates. Review data quality and small sample sizes before drawing conclusions about performance.
Action checklist
- ✓Every stage has a clear definition.
- ✓Active records have an owner and next action.
- ✓Client and team access is role-appropriate.
- ✓Candidate consent is visible before each introduction.
- ✓Operational metrics have written definitions and verified inputs.
